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Reviews
The Leaning Girl by Benoît Peeters, Stephen D. Smith, Marie-Françoise Plissart, François Schuiten
whattiea's review
3.0
The premise is certainly great--a girl obeys the gravity of another planet, not earth. And I did enjoy the art--who doesn't enjoy a lot of shadowy dramatic quarter shots of old wrinkled men?--and the photo-based sections, and how the two melded into each other. But there was always something lacking. Perhaps the paneling was sometimes confusing, at least it didn't add anything to the story. Under a different execution I must have enjoyed it better...or maybe just if I was more familiar with the Obscure Cities pantheon!
elna17a9a's review
3.0
The two introductions really over hyped this story: I was expecting an incredibly affecting, wild story that stuck with me, and instead got something that was... fine.
Mary, randomly, starts leaning one day, and is sent to boarding school when her parents are at their wit's end. Bullied and unhappy, Mary runs away and become the star attraction at a circus for five years. She meets up with a scientist (in the vein of Jules Verne) and discovers that she's leaning because her center of gravity has been aligned to a different planet/person.
Concurrently, there's a story told in (beautiful) photographs of an artist, drawn to an empty house and, eventually, to Mary.Mary and the artist are, of course, in love. And then he leaves her and she stops leaning and lives her life, always remembering him.
Beautiful and clear linework, but nothing too spectacular.
Mary, randomly, starts leaning one day, and is sent to boarding school when her parents are at their wit's end. Bullied and unhappy, Mary runs away and become the star attraction at a circus for five years. She meets up with a scientist (in the vein of Jules Verne) and discovers that she's leaning because her center of gravity has been aligned to a different planet/person.
Concurrently, there's a story told in (beautiful) photographs of an artist, drawn to an empty house and, eventually, to Mary.
Beautiful and clear linework, but nothing too spectacular.
rickklaw's review
5.0
After a freak accident, thirteen year-old Mary Von Rathen begins to lean at a 45 degree angle. After nothing fixes her affliction, her selfish mother and hen-pecked father send her away to a private school. Shortly after, Mary runs away and quite literally joins the circus where she remains for several years, performing her amazing leaning girl act. A newspaper editor tells her of a scientist, Axel Wappendorf, who is planning on a journey to a planet that might unlock the secret behind Mary’s trouble. Interspersed within Mary’s tale, is the story of fine artist Augustin Desombres, who escapes from his busy world and buys an empty building on the French countryside. He begins painting murals of strange globes and worries about his sanity. Mary’s and Wappendorf’s explorations bring them into a collision course with Desombres and hopefully the answers that Mary’s seeks.
Part of the legendary Obscure Cities sequence, this extraordinary French graphic novel serves as an ideal introduction to the long running series produced by writer Peeters and artist Schuiten. Expertly employing the tropes of 19th century science fiction, the duo’s creation achieves the unique duality of both very familiar and very different. Schuiten’s exquisite line work pairs perfectly with Peeters’ prose in creating the mythical worlds, outlandish ideas, and commonplace people. Further enhancing the work’s uniqueness is the Fumetti style of Desombres’ story as envisioned by the black & white photography of Plissart. The riveting, beautiful Leaning Girl fascinates, while providing one of the best reading experiences of the year.
Part of the legendary Obscure Cities sequence, this extraordinary French graphic novel serves as an ideal introduction to the long running series produced by writer Peeters and artist Schuiten. Expertly employing the tropes of 19th century science fiction, the duo’s creation achieves the unique duality of both very familiar and very different. Schuiten’s exquisite line work pairs perfectly with Peeters’ prose in creating the mythical worlds, outlandish ideas, and commonplace people. Further enhancing the work’s uniqueness is the Fumetti style of Desombres’ story as envisioned by the black & white photography of Plissart. The riveting, beautiful Leaning Girl fascinates, while providing one of the best reading experiences of the year.
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